Rutgers has evolved from longtime postseason wannabe to bowl perennial.

Utah is good enough to crack a couple of Bowl Championship Series lineups and still feel short-changed.

For those college football programs — and for Kansas and Boise State, Southern Mississippi and Oklahoma State and a handful of others — there's no looking back at the good old days. By at least one estimation, they're now.

In no other sport, college or pro, are history and tradition more important and revered. With that in mind, USA TODAY pored through the annals of all 120 programs in the NCAA's top-tier Bowl Subdivision and identified the golden era for each.

There's room for debate, of course. Has the Mack Brown era trumped Darrell Royal's at Texas? (We say not yet.) Do you go with Tennessee coached by Gen. Robert Neyland or the Volunteers quarterbacked by Peyton Manning? (We like the Neyland days.) How do you choose among Southern California's multiple national titles under Homer Jones, John McKay and Pete Carroll?

Paul "Bear" Bryant begot two golden eras, at Kentucky and Alabama. We remembered that San Jose State went 13-0 back in 1939. For Illinois and Vanderbilt, we needed even longer memories.

Under coach Fisher DeBerry, the Falcons went 37-12, including 2-1 in bowls, with a 12-1 season in 1998 as a highlight.

Akron

2003-2005

There's not much to smile about in the Zips
short Division I-A tenure, but they did post three winning seasons with a
MAC title and a Motor City Bowl berth in 2005.

Alabama

1961-66

Paul "Bear" Bryant had 232 wins in his 25-year
reign in Tuscaloosa, but this period was the apex of his career. The Crimson
Tide went 50-4-1, claimed three national titles and launched the career
of Joe Namath.

Alabama Birmingham

2004

The Blazers went to the Hawaii Bowl in 2004,
the only bowl game in their short history.

Arizona

1973-75

Traditionally mediocre team posted 8-3, 9-2
and 9-2 records and made a rare appearance in the Top 10.

Arizona State

1969-75

Under bulldog coach Frank Kush, the Sun Devils
won five WAC titles in seven years and were unbeaten in 1970 and 75.

Arkansas

1964-1970

Crowned national champ by the Football Writers
Association of America after an 11-0 season in 1964, the Razorbacks went
61-13-1 and won or shared three Southwest Conference titles under coach
Frank Broyles.

Arkansas State

1968-70

In the last three years of Bennie Ellender's
tenure, he carried the team to three consecutive bowl appearances, winning
the Pecan Bowl in 1969 and capturing it again in 1970 after an undefeated
season.

Army

1944-46

Mr. Inside (Doc Blanchard) and Mr. Outside
(Glenn Davis) led Army to three consecutive undefeated seasons. Both won
Heismans. Army went 27-0-1 in that span, winning AP national titles in '44
and '45.

Auburn

1955-60

The Plainsmen were 49-10-2 under Ralph "Shug"
Jordan, won the 1957 Associated Press national championship with a 10-0
record, and were fourth nationally in 1958 with a 9-0-1 record.

Ball State

1974-1980

Seven consecutive winning seasons yielded
two MAC championships including one in the school's second year as a conference
member.

Baylor

1979-86

Grant Teaff's Bears were ranked four times,
won 57 games and appeared in five bowls, including the 1980 Cotton with
a linebacker named Mike Singletary.

Boise State

1999-present

The perfect 2006 campaign concluding with
the epic Fiesta Bowl win against Oklahoma was the highlight as the Broncos
have had at least eight wins each of the last 10 seasons.

Boston College

1981-1984

In what's dubbed "The Flutie Era," Eagles
went to three bowl games and had storybook last-second comeback win against
Miami (Fla.) in 1984.

Bowling Green

1991-1992

Quarterback Erik White, a two-time MAC player
of the year, led the Falcons to a 21-3 record and wins in the California
and Las Vegas Bowls.

Brigham Young

1979-85

Cougars went 77-12, including 4-3 in bowls,
winning the 1984 national title and seven Western Athletic Conference titles
under coach LaVell Edwards, and becoming Quarterback U with Marc Wilson,
Jim McMahon, Steve Young and Robbie Bosco as the team led the nation in
passing five times.

Buffalo

2006-present

Last season, coach Turner Gill brought home
the team's first winning season since 1996, beating Ball State for the Bulls'
first outright MAC title since joining Division I-A in 1999.

California

1947-50

Golden Bears lost only four games in four
seasons, won three Pacific Coast Conference titles and played in three consecutive
Rose Bowls, losing all three.

Central Florida

2007

The Knights ran their way to the Conference
USA title and the Liberty Bowl.

Central Michigan

1974-1980

With two different coaches in the seven-year
span, the Chippewas won a Division II national title and two MAC championships
to close the era.

Cincinnati

1949-52

The Bearcats were champions of the Mid-American
Conference three times while earning a 33-10-1 record under coach Sid Gillman.

Clemson

1986-1990

The Tigers won the national title in 1981
but in this five-year span, Clemson won five bowl games, three ACC championships
and posted four seasons with at least 10 wins.

Colorado

1989-95

Bill McCartney's teams finished in the top
10 three times and was crowned national champ in 1990 by the Associated
Press.

Colorado State

1994-2002

Coach Sonny Lubick's teams went 79-32 with
six Western Athletic or Mountain West titles and a 3-4 bowl record.

Connecticut

1956-1960

UConn brought back five Yankee Conference
championships in five seasons, marking a record for the Huskies, while losing
only three games at home.

Duke

1952-1955

The Blue Devils won the 1952 Southern Conference
title, then joined the ACC in 1953, taking two consecutive conference championships
and sharing a third in 1955.

East Carolina

1991

The Pirates earned their highest season-ending
ranking ever (No. 9) and won the Peach Bowl.

Eastern Michigan

1925-1930

In the first five years of Elton Rynearson's
22 years as head coach, the Eagles went 40-4-2. In the first three years,
they held opponents to 31 total points.

Florida

2005-08

The arrival of coach Urban Meyer carried the
Gators to a 44-9 cumulative record and Bowl Championship Series titles in
2006 and 2008. Quarterback Tim Tebow won the Heisman in 2007 and Florida
is the preseason pick to win this year's title.

Florida Atlantic

2007-08

In 2007 the Owls made history as the youngest
program ever to be invited to a bowl, winning the New Orleans Bowl and repeated
success in 2008 with a win in the Motor City Bowl, continuing the Howard
Schnellenberger era.

Florida International

2005

This program, which began life in 2002, has
never had a winning season. In 2005, the Golden Panthers were 5-6, 4-3 in
the Sun Belt to match the most wins in the team's short history.

Florida State

1985-1995

Bobby Bowden's entire 32-year FSU resume is
impressive, but the span from 1985 to 1995 saw the Seminoles win 10 consecutive
bowl games including a national championship in 1993.

Fresno State

1985-93

The Bulldogs' 11-0-1 campaign of '85 began
a string of nine winning seasons that included at least a share of six conference
titles in two leagues.

Georgia

1980-83

With Heisman Trophy running back Herschel
Walker (1982) leading the way, the Bulldogs were 43-4-1 under coach Vince
Dooley, winning the consensus national championship with a 12-0 run in 1980.

Georgia Tech

1951-1953

The Yellow Jackets went 17-1-1 in the SEC
during the period, won a shared national championship after a perfect 12-0
season in 1952 and finished in the top 10 in the AP poll each year.

Hawaii

2002-07

The Warriors went 23-4 over June Jones' final
two seasons in the Islands, leading to the perfect regular season and Sugar
Bowl appearance. The 2002-04 stretch wasn't bad either with a 27-14 record.

Houston

1976-79

The Cougars went to three Cotton Bowls and
finished in the top 10 three times.

Idaho

1985-90

The Vandals were 55-19 under three different
coaches during this stretch, posting at least eight victories each year
and winning four Big Sky crowns. High point was 1988 with an 11-2 mark en
route to the Division I-AA semifinals.

Illinois

1923-29

Behind Red Grange for the first three seasons,
the Fighting Illini wound up with three Big Ten championships in the run
along with going 45-8-3.

Indiana

1986-93

The Hoosiers, led by coach Bill Mallory, played
in six bowls in eight years.

Iowa

1956-60

The Hawkeyes were ranked in the top three
of the final AP poll three times and sixth another time while winning two
Rose Bowls under Forest Evashevski.

Iowa State

2000-05

The Cyclones went to five bowl games and earned
39 victories.

Kansas

2007-current

Mark Mangino has led the Jayhawks to back-to-back
bowls (including an Orange Bowl win) for the first time in school history.

Kansas State

1993-2003

The first edition of the Bill Snyder era included
a Big 12 title, two North Division titles, a Fiesta Bowl win and a four-week
stint atop the USA TODAY Coaches’ Poll in 1998.

Kent State

1972-74

The Jack Lambert-led Golden Flashes won their
first and only MAC championship in 1972, but the next year yielded the most
wins in school history (nine).

Kentucky

1949-51

Before reaching iconic status at Alabama,
Paul "Bear" Bryant made Kentucky relevant. The Wildcats went 28-8 and earned
trips to the Orange, Sugar and Cotton bowls. The 1950 Southeastern Conference
title was the school’s first.

Lousiana-Lafayette

1993-95

The Ragin’ Cajuns returned to glorious heights
in the '90s, staking claim as Big West champions in 1993 and 1994, the first
conference championships for the program since 1970.

Louisiana-Monroe

1990-93

Captured two Southland Conference championships
and reached the I-AA quarterfinals, with 10 wins in 1992 and nine in 1993,
the program’s last winning season.

LSU

2003-07

Beginning with coach Nick Saban's national
championship in 2003 and continuing with Les Miles’ title run in 2007 the
Tigers returned to heights last reached in the 1950s with Billy Cannon at
halfback. LSU was 56-10 over these five years.

Louisiana Tech

1971-74

The Bulldogs claimed four consecutive Southland
Conference titles and two NCAA championships while posting a 44-4 record.

The Thundering Herd dominated the division
then known as I-AA with two national titles.

Maryland

1949-1955

Under Jim Tatum, Terps were 60-9-2 with a
national championship and three other final AP rankings in the top eight.

Memphis

1962-63

The Tigers had back-to-back eight-win seasons.

Miami (Fla.)

1987-91

With national championships in 1987, 1989
and 1991 the Hurricanes lost just four games in four years and produced
13 All-Americans.

Miami (Ohio)

1973-75

The RedHawks won three MAC titles and three
Tangerine Bowls, including a 16-7 win against Florida that capped an 11-0
season in 1973.

Michigan

1970-79

The Wolverines were 96-16-3 (.848) and claimed
seven Big Ten titles while appearing in five Rose Bowls.

Michigan State

1951-57

The Spartans won the 1952 national championship,
going 9-0 under Biggie Munn. Michigan State also won two Rose Bowls and
a Big Ten championship in that span.

Middle Tennessee

1956-59

Charles Murphy’s teams won four consecutive
Ohio Valley championships, played in two bowl games, put up two 10-win seasons
and won the Tangerine Bowl in 1959.

Minnesota

1934-41

The Gophers won five national championships
including three in a row from 1934-36, which has yet to be matched.

Mississippi

1957-62

With All-Americans Charlie Flowers and Jake
Gibbs producing points and coach John Vaught providing leadership, the Rebels
went 57-6-2 and earned at least one organization’s national title in 1959,
1960 and 1962.

Mississippi State

1939-42

Coach Allyn McKeen guided the Bulldogs to
a 34-5-2 record heading into World War II with an Orange Bowl victory against
Georgetown in 1941.

Missouri

1960-1969

Tigers were in the national championship picture
at the front and back end of this 10-year stretch under Dan Devine, in which
they averaged almost eight wins.

Navy

1960-63

Two Midshipmen won Heisman Trophies (Joe Bellino
in 1960 and Roger Staubach in 1963). Staubach's '63 team reached No. 2 in
the country.

Nebraska

1994-97

Tom Osborne led the Huskers to more national
titles (three) than losses (two).

Nevada

1990-96

The Wolf Pack were 25-3 in their last two
years in the Big Sky with an appearance in the I-AA championship game, then
won or shared the Big West title in four of their first five years of I-A
membership.

New Mexico

1961-64

Lobos went 29-12-1 in a stretch of four consecutive
winning seasons that included Western Athletic championships in '62, '63
and '64 under coach Bill Weeks.

New Mexico State

1959-60

The Aggies followed up an 8-3 season with
an 11-0 campaign, the only year the program recorded double-digit victories.
The Sun Bowl win against Utah State was NMSU’s last postseason appearance.

North Carolina

1979-82

Under Dick Crum, the Tar Heels won the ACC
in 1980 and rattled off four consecutive bowl wins against Michigan, Arkansas,
and Texas (twice).

North Carolina State

1972-74

With legendary coach Lou Holtz at the helm,
the Wolfpack were 26-8-2, won the Peach and Liberty bowls, and finished
in the top 20 of the final AP poll each season.

North Texas

2001-04

The Mean Green ruled the fledgling Sun Belt,
taking the title four consecutive years and making the New Orleans Bowl
each time, winning in 2002.

Northern Illinois

1962-66

Before the MAC joined the big leagues, longtime
NIU coach Howard Fletcher led the program to three conference championships
and a 10-0 season in 1963.

Northwestern

1929-36

The Wildcats won four Big Ten championships.

Notre Dame

1946-49

The Irish didn’t lose a game for four years
(36-0-2). Won three national titles: '46, '47, '49. John Lujack ('47) and
Leon Hart ('49) won Heismans.

Ohio

1967-69

Bobcats posted three consecutive winning seasons,
a MAC co-championship in 1967, and a 10-1 finish with a conference title
in 1968.

Ohio State

1968-79

Legendary coach Woody Hayes led the way to
one consensus national championship and another shared. The Buckeyes won
three of the seven Rose Bowls they appeared in during that era.

Oklahoma

1953-57

Bud Wilkinson, who had 145 wins, 12 consecutive
Big 8 titles and three national titles in his tenure, built a 47-game winning
streak in the mid-1950s.

Oklahoma State

2006-current

Mike Gundy has led the Cowboys to three consecutive
bowls and a No. 11 preaseason ranking in this year’s USA TODAY Coaches’
Poll.

Oregon

1999-2001

Ducks went 30-6, won or shared two Pac-10
titles, won three consecutive bowl games and finished No. 2 nationally in
2001.

Oregon State

1955-64

In a 10-year stretch under coach Tommy Prothro,
Beavers had only one losing season and got to two Rose Bowls. Quarterback
Terry Baker was the Heisman winner in 1962.

Penn State

1977-86

The Nittany Lions won seven bowl games including
four Fiesta Bowls and two national championships.

Pittsburgh

1976-81

Under Johnnie Majors and Jackie Sherrill,
the Panthers played in five consecutive bowls, taking four victories, with
a 50-9 record and claimed the 1976 national title behind Heisman-winning
running back Tony Dorsett.

Purdue

1966-69

The Boilermakers had three consecutive Heisman
finalists and legendary coach Jack Mollenkopf guided Purdue to a Rose Bowl
win.

Rice through wyoming Rice

1949

The Owls finished 10-1 for what was their
only 10-win season until 2008 (10-3) with a trip to the Cotton Bowl.

Rutgers

2005-present

Before Greg Schiano arrived, Rutgers played
in one bowl in 131 seasons. It has now gone to four bowls in the last four
seasons, winning its last three. RU earned its first Top 10 ranking in 2006,
had its inaugural first-round NFL draft pick in 2009.

San Diego State

1966-77

The last eight years of the Don Coryell and
the first four of the Claude Gilbert eras produced a 111-17-3 mark, seven
conference titles, four top-20 placings in the final rankings and a 3-0
bowl mark.

San Jose State

1937-40

The Spartans were 46-4-1 ing this four-year
period, including 13-0 campaign in '39 in which they allowed just 29 points.

South Carolina

1979-80

Heisman Trophy winner George Rogers (1980)
led the Gamecocks to consecutive 8-4 seasons and berths in the Hall of Fame
and Gator Bowls.

South Florida

2005-present

Since joining the Big East in 2005, the Bulls
have made appearances in four consecutive bowls with two wins and a 32-21
record.

Southern California

2002-present

Seven consecutive years of 11 wins, top-four
rankings, Pac-10 titles and BCS bowl games. Two national titles and three
Heisman Trophy winners.

Southern Methodist

1935

The Mustangs went 12-1, won the national title
and played in the Rose Bowl.

Southern Mississippi

1994-current

The Golden Eagles have been to eight consecutive
bowls and had 15 winning seasons under Jeff Bower and Larry Fedora.

Stanford

1924-32

Coached by the legendary Glenn "Pop" Warner,
Stanford produced three conference titles, an overall 71-17-8 record and
played in three Rose Bowls.

Syracuse

1956-61

With Jim Brown and then Ernie Davis, the Orange
made an Orange Bowl and two Cotton Bowls and had an 11-0 national championship
season in 1959 and a Heisman Trophy in '61.

Temple

1973-1979

Coach Wayne Hardin's Temple career had some
rough patches but the Owls posted 8-, 9-, and 10-win seasons during the
span and rattled off 14 consecutive wins between 1973 and 1974.

Tennessee

1938-40

Gen. Robert Neyland’s teams went unbeaten
for three consecutive regular seasons and 31-2 overall. Tennessee shut out
26 of those 33 opponents.

Texas

1961-72

The Longhorns won three national titles and
eight SWC titles in this 11-season stretch of Darrell Royal’s 20-year tenure.

Texas A&M

1939-41

Under Homer Norton, the Aggies won a national title in 1939 and three consecutive Southwest Conference titles.

TCU

1929-38

Horned Frogs were 91-16-9, with two national
titles under coach Dutch Meyer whose quarterbacks included Sammy Baugh on
the ’35 title team and Davey O’Brien on the ’38 title team, plus three unbeaten
seasons (’29, ’32, ’38) and three Southwest Conference titles (’29, ’32,
’38).

Texas-El Paso

1965-67

The Miners went to two bowl games.

Texas Tech

2000-08

The Red Raiders streak of nine bowl appearances
is second-longest in the Big 12.

Toledo

1969-1971

Led by quarterback Chuck Ealey, the first
player in MAC history to receive Heisman Trophy votes, the Rockets won 35
consecutive games and three conference titles.

Troy

1984-87

Won the Division II championship in 1984 with
a last-second 50-yard field goal, and continued through to a 40-8 record
before defeating Portland State in 1987 and winning the title a second time,
capping another 12-win season.

Tulane

1929-34

The Green Wave went to the Rose Bowl, Sugar
Bowl, won a Southeastern Conference title and had an 18-game winning streak.

Tulsa

1941-45

Henry Frnka led the Golden Hurricane to a
40-9-1 record and five consecutive bowl games.

UCLA

1982-88

Three 10-win seasons, three Rose Bowl wins,
an overall record of 63-17-4 and a 4-3 record against USC.

UNLV

1973-79

The Rebels were 61-18-2 during a stretch when
they twice made the Division II playoffs, in '74 under Ron Meyer and in
'76 under Tony Knap, and went 16-5-2 in their first two seasons in Division
I.

Utah

2003-08

Utes went 59-16, including unbeaten campaigns
in 2004 under Urban Meyer and 2008 under Kyle Whittingham, with a 6-0 record
in bowls and Mountain West titles in '03, '04 and '08.

Utah State

1978-80

The last time the Aggies posted three consecutive
winning seasons, won or shared the Big West title twice but didn’t receive
any bowl bids in this stretch.

Vanderbilt

1926-30

This was the high-water mark in Dan McGugin's
three decades as coach, as the Commodores compiled a 39-8 record with victories
against Texas, Tennessee, Alabama, Auburn, Georgia Tech and Minnesota.

Virginia

1993-1995

Led by all-time leading tackler Jamie Sharper
(435), the Cavs went 25-12 in the three years with a 2-1 bowl record and
the program’s second ACC championship in 1995.

Virginia Tech

2004-present

Despite a 2-3 bowl record, the Hokies have
posted five consecutive seasons with at least 10 wins and conference titles
in 2004, 2007 and 2008.

Wake Forest

2006-present

For the first time in program history, the
Demon Deacons earned three bowl bids on the strength of 28 total victories.

Washington

1990-92

The last three years of coach Don James' memorable
run produced three Pac-10 titles, three consecutive Rose Bowl appearances
and a national title in ’91.

Washington State

2001-03

A program without much winning tradition produced
three consecutive 10-win seasons and won two of its three bowl games.

West Virginia

2002-2007

WVU won four conference titles, had three
11-win seasons, earned a 58-18 record and made six consecutive bowl appearances,
winning the Sugar Bowl and Fiesta Bowl.

Western Kentucky

1973-75

Was the NCAA DII runner-up in '73 and '75,
the Ohio Valley Conference champion twice (and earned second place once),
had 11- and 12-win seasons, and a victory in the Grantland Rice Bowl in
1975.

Western Michigan

2006-present

Despite a relapse to losing ways in 2007 (5-7),
the Broncos earned bowl bids in 2006 and 2008 and finished last season with
nine wins, tied for most in program history.

Wisconsin

1994-02

The Badgers won seven of eight bowl games,
including three Rose Bowls.

Wyoming

1966-67

The Cowboys went 20-2 with teams coached by
Lloyd Eaton that included future NFL star Jim Kiick, beating Florida State
in the ’66 Sun Bowl and losing to LSU in the Sugar Bowl the next season.

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